SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The nation's largest cellphone providers will pay a combined $116 million in a California lawsuit alleging that they overcharged government customers for more than a decade.
Verizon will pay $68 million and AT&T Mobility will pay $48 million to settle claims that they violated cost-saving agreements with nearly 300 state and local governments.
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Sprint and T-Mobile previously agreed to pay a combined $9.6 million. The California Attorney General's Office decided not to sue, but a whistleblower used a state law that allows for such independent lawsuits.
The wireless companies denied wrongdoing and said they settled to avoid lengthy and costly litigation.
A woman rests at a table and clicks around on her cellphone. (KGO-TV)